It has been alleged that Bob Higgins is a ‘predatory paedophile’ who used his power as a respected coach to abuse teenagers over 25 years.
Photograph: Elizabeth Cook/PA

The former Southampton FC coach Bob Higgins has told a jury he performed “soapy water massages” on schoolboy players after watching a documentary about the former Leeds United and England manager Don Revie.

Higgins, 65, has been accused of sexually abusing players during massages, and he accepted in the witness box he may have brushed their testicles accidentally but insisted he gained no sexual satisfaction from it.

He is accused of 50 indecent assaults on 24 boys. It has been alleged that he is a “predatory paedophile” who used his power as a respected football coach to abuse teenagers over 25 years. Giving evidence in his defence, Higgins insisted there was no truth in the allegations against him.

Jurors at Winchester crown court were played a clip of a 1974 documentary about Revie in which he is seen giving soapy massages to players.

Higgins said: “I saw the documentary and Don Revie did the massages. I did tell players that this happened to professional players, I got that from the documentary. The massages would happen after we had been out doing running. It was tough and they would cramp up.

“The players would come in six at a time. They would get on these slabs with whichever coach was free. I told the other coaches how to do the massages. The purpose was to loosen the players up and relax the calf muscles. I think they quite enjoyed the massages.”

He added: “I might have brushed their testicles.” When asked whether he had got any sexual gratification or deliberately touched players, he denied he had.

Higgins is said to have put love songs on in his car as he drove players to and from training and games. While the music was on, it is alleged, he would wink at the boys in the car mirror and on occasions touch them inappropriately.

Higgins denied he was trying to create an atmosphere in his car, claiming he simply enjoyed the music of Whitney Houston and Celine Dion. “There was no ulterior motive. I would listen to it because I loved the music,” he said.

The court has heard young players would go to Higgins’ house in Southampton after training sessions to wait for their parents to collect them. He said he and his wife treated the players “like family” and said he may have put his arm around boys as they sat with him on the sofa.

Higgins said: “If there was room on the sofa, I would sit with the boys. Wherever I sat, players would sit, but we did not have a lot of room. They would be sat on the floor near me. I probably did put my arm around boys.”